LOCATION NATHLIE AK

Established Series
SDB
08/2025

NATHLIE SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: poorly drained
Parent material: organic material over coarse-loamy loess over sandy and gravelly glaciofluvial deposits
Landscape: lake plains, foothills, mountains
Landform: floodplains and terraces in river valleys, and floodplains and flats in lake plains
Slope: 0 to 8 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 450 mm (18 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -3 degrees C (27 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 20 to 75 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid Histic Cryaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Nathlie peat in a black spruce community on floodplain with a slope of 4 percent at an elevation of 468m (1535 ft)

Oi--0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 in); peat, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4); common very fine, fine, and medium, many coarse, and common very coarse roots throughout; very fine and fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary (12 to 14 cm, 5 to 6 in)

Oe--13 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in); mucky peat, black (10YR 2/1); common very fine and fine, many medium and coarse, and common very coarse roots throughout; very fine and fine irregular pores neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt wavy boundary (6 to 16 cm, 2 to 6 in)

Bw--20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in); fine sandy loam, dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3); weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent fine irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6), masses of oxidized iron and 15 percent fine irregular dark gray (5Y 4/1), masses of reduced iron; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary (14 to 21 cm, 6 to 8 in)

Cg1--35 to 42 cm (14 to 17 in); sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2); massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; very fine irregular and fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary

Cg2--42 to 60 cm (17 to 24 in); silt, dark gray (5Y 4/1) ; massive; soft, very friable, moderately sticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common fine and medium roots throughout; very fine and fine irregular pores; 3 percent fine irregular gray (5Y 6/1) masses of reduced iron and 6 percent fine irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary (22 to 29 cm, 9 to 11 in)

Cg3--60 to 150 cm (24 to 59 in); coarse sandy loam, dark gray (5Y 4/1); massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; 10 percent cobbles and 35 percent gravel by volume; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1) (80 to 96 cm, 31 to 38 in)

TYPE LOCATION: Valdez-Cordova Census Area County, Alaska; latitude 62.32201, longitude -145.37345, UTM 6911112.49 north and 584287.07 UTM east, zone 6, Datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: aquic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: -1 to 5 degrees C. (30 to 41 degrees F)
Thickness of histic epipedon: 18 to 30 cm (7 to 12 in)
Thickness of cambic horizon: 15 to 21 cm (6 to 8 in)
Depth to redoximorphic concentrations: 19 to 32 cm (7 to 13 in)
Depth to redoximorphic depletions: 19 to 32 cm (7 to 13 in)
Aquic conditions: 0 to 150 cm (0 to 59 in)

Oi and Oe horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: peat, mucky peat, muck
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: slightly acid to neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3)

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 4
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam, fine sandy loam
Sand: 30 to 60 percent
Silt: 33 to 63 percent
Clay: 3 to 7 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 4 percent
Reaction class: neutral (pH 6.6 to 7.3)

Cg1and Cg2 horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: very gravelly sandy loam, gravelly sand, sandy loam, silt loam
Sand: 16 to 85 percent
Silt: 9 to 82 percent
Clay: 2 to 6 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 52 percent
Gravels: 0 to 40 percent
Cobbles:0 to 16 percent
Organic matter: 0.5 to 1.3 percent
Reaction class: neutral to moderately alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)

Cg3 horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: very gravelly sand, very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very gravelly loamy coarse sand.
Sand: 55 to 87 percent
Silt: 7 to 40 percent
Clay: 2 to 6 percent
Rock fragments: 34 to 56 percent
Gravels: 28 to 40 percent
Cobbles: 6 to 16 percent
Organic matter: 0.2 to 0.7 percent
Reaction class: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.4)

Some pedons have a 4 to 12 cm (2 to 5 in) thick A horizon on top of the Bw or C horizon. It has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, Chroma of 2 to 3, and a value of 1 to 2 with a silt loam or sandy loam texture.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Drashner (AK) and Tiekel (AK) soils.
Drashner soils lack a thick eolian or loess cap
Tiekel soils have coarse fragments in the organic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 100 to 900 meters (330 to 2955 ft)
Parent material: organic material over coarse-loamy loess over sandy and gravelly glaciofluvial deposits
Landform: floodplains and terraces in river valleys, and floodplains and flats in lake plains
Slopes: 0 to 7 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 800 mm (12 to 31 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -4 to -2 degrees C. (25 to 28 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 20 to 75 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ahtell, Dackey, Hungryhollow, Klawasi, Mire, and Summitlake soils.
Ahtell soils are well drained, lack permafrost, have folistic and umbric epipedons, and occur on hill tops, and hillside positions.
Dackey soils are somewhat poorly drained, have stratified alluvium, and occur on floodplains and low stream terraces.
Fields soils are well drained, have an umbric epipedon, lithic contact within 2 m (79 in) of the soil surface, and occur on mountains.
Hungryhollow soils are poorly drained, have permafrost, a sapric horizon, and mineral soil starting between 52 and 73 cm (21 and 29 in) deep.
Klawasi soils have permafrost, histic epipedons, a loess cap over clayey lacustrine sediments, and occur on lacustrine terraces.
Mire soils are organic soils, have a thick sapric horizon, and occur on string bogs, interdrumlins, hillslopes, and glacial valley floors.
Summitlake soils are poorly drained and occur in lake plains and depressions in foothills.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: high in the Oi, Oe, Bw and Cg1 horizons, moderately high in the Cg2, very high in the Cg3.
Permeability: moderately rapid in the Oi, Oe, Bw and Cg1 horizons, moderate in the Cg2, very rapid in the Cg3.
Runoff: very high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: Black spruce, diamond leaf willow, moss

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228 Interior Alaska mountains.
Extent: moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: North Copper River Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Particle-size control section: 45 to 120 cm (17 to 47 in)

Histic epipedon: 0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in) (Oi and Oe horizon)

Cambic horizon: 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in) (Bw horizon)

Redoximorphic concentrations: 20 to 60 cm cm (4 to 24 in) (Bw, Cg1, Cg2, and Cg3 horizons)

Redoximorphic depletions: 20 to 60 cm cm (4 to 24 in) (Bw, Cg1, Cg2, and Cg3 horizons)

Reduced matrix: 35 to 150 cm (14 to 59 in) (Cg1, Cg2 and Cg3 horizons)

Aquic conditions: 0 to 150 cm (0 to 59 in) (Oi, Oe, Bw, Cg1, Cg2 and Cg3 horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon Id: 2020AK261029

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.